“Green” Buildings / LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design):

Sunroad Centrum is the first new LEED Certified office project in San Diego.  The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
Drew George & Partners has partnered with Sunroad Enterprises and BPA Architecture Planning Interiors to deliver a high performance building with a greatly reduced impact on the environment.
Sunroad Centrum has received LEED Certification for Core and Shell Development, through the US Green Building Council’s Green Building Rating System.  The LEED Green Building Rating System for Core & Shell Development (LEED-CS) is a set of performance standards for certifying the sustainable design and construction of core and shell buildings.  Sunroad Centrum incorporates many sustainable design features and has demonstrated environmental design practices in all six of the credit categories identified by LEED.

Specific Sustainable Features

• Site:  Sunroad Centrum was built on a previously developed site rather than a “greenfield” site, which conserves undeveloped land and increases development density.  The project is located in a walkable community with many services such as banks, restaurants, hotel, healthcare, and residences, all of which are located in close proximity to the building.  In addition, a bus stop is located across the street from the building, giving the building occupants and visitors easy access to public transportation options.  To further reduce the development footprint, a 3-story underground parking structure was built to contain approximately 75% of the vehicles.  Finally, to encourage tenants to purchase environmentally-friendly automobiles, a parking discount is provided for vehicles that have a "green score" of 40 or higher.

• Water Efficiency:  The site’s landscaping includes water-efficient landscaping and drought-tolerant plants that do not require permanent irrigation, which reduces water consumption by at least 50% annually.  Inside the building, over 35% water savings was achieved by using dual-flush toilets, low-flow urinals and sensor activated low-flow lavatories.  The result is the annual net savings of over 780,000 gallons of potable water. 

• Energy:  The building meets the latest Title 24 Energy Code requirements, making it approximately 10% more efficient than a comparable building.  In addition, the owner has purchased Renewable Energy Credits to offset emissions created by the building's consumed energy.  This purchase will prevent approximately 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from release into the atmosphere annually.

•  Materials & Resources:  Construction waste was recycled in two different ways, including onsite separation and utilization of a local construction/demolition recycling facility.  These waste diversion efforts prevented over half a million pounds of construction material from entering the landfill.  Over 50% of the wood products used in the building are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as having been sourced from forests that are sustainably managed and harvested.

• Indoor Air Quality:  The indoor air quality of the building was protected during construction by focusing on keeping the project clean, dry and smoke-free.  To further enhance the indoor air quality, the project utilized low-emitting materials and finishes, such as adhesives, sealants, paint, carpets, and will use "green" cleaning products, processes and equipment.  The building also features ample glazing on all sides which allows daylight to come deep into the building and provides expansive views to the outdoors for over 90% of building employees.

• Future Tenant Improvements:  The project will have "green" Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines, which serves two purposes.  First, it educates new tenants about the unique aspects of the core & shell construction and, secondly, provides guidance on how to design and build their spaces to be green.

• Education:  The building will feature a Sustainability Educational Program, including signage located inside and outside the building, describing the green features, along with a written case study.